Some very sophisticated and extremely costly wheelchairs are known in the prior art. The most widely used type of wheelchair is a comparatively inexpensive laterally foldable, reasonably lightweight chair which can be carried in automobiles by users, as well as many other places where heavier, more elaborate chairs could not be taken. The most commonly used wheelchair, however, lacks many desirable convenience features, and the objective of this invention is to improve on the convenience and utility of the common type laterally folding wheelchair without even approaching the great cost of more sophisticated chairs which have been proposed in the art.
More particularly, it is the aim of the invention to provide a number of add-on attachment devices or kits which can be installed on wheelchairs by the purchasers or users thereof at relatively low cost and without necessitating a redesign or substantial modification of the basic chair structure. Among the provided "do-it-yourself" wheelchair attachments are a simple and reliable width adjuster enabling the chair to pass through narrow doorways and passages; a curb or step climbing front wheel arrangement; a quick removable chair back providing easy access to commodes, etc. in tight quarters; a wheel guard and strengthener; and a simplified front wheel adjuster which compensates for inclines by maintaining the chair seat substantially level.
The following prior United States patents are made of record herein under 37 C.F.R. 1.56: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,847,058; 3,409,324; 3,666,292; 3,937,490; 3,976,152.